(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-630AG-4ao, John P. Gruber, Overstk on CWT NY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$180 MS66BN 10-14-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War store card issued by John P. Gruber, Overstk on CWT of New York. New York was the nation's commercial capital, with New York City alone producing hundreds of store card varieties from Broadway retailers to waterfront wholesalers. This piece is an overstrike struck over a host coin, an 1863 Indian Head cent. Traces of the original design may be visible beneath the new impressions. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. Collectors classify Civil War tokens by the Fuld numbering system, which catalogs each unique die combination with rarity ratings from R-1 (over 5,000 known) to R-10 (unique).

Rarity Notes

Copper strikings are generally the most common metal variant for Civil War store cards, as copper was the standard planchet material mimicking the federal cent. Overstrike varieties are generally scarcer than tokens struck on blank planchets, as they required sourcing and re-striking existing coins. With 45 cataloged varieties, John P. Gruber, Overstk on CWT was a substantial producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 630AG-4ao